Chapter 95: Zhu Zhuqing—"I Am Not a Sycophant, I Deny It!"

At this point, Sword Douluo couldn't hold back anymore. "Fengzhi, what's going on here? And what is this Shrek Academy? I've never even heard of it; it sounds like a low-level school. How could you let Rongrong go to a place like that?"

Gu Rong, standing beside Ning Fengzhi, also looked at him, expecting a reasonable explanation.

With a helpless sigh, Ning Fengzhi replied, "Rongrong has been wanting to explore the world for a while now. Going out to gain experience is actually a good thing. We can't keep her sheltered in the sect forever. Plus, this way she can meet some peers her age. And the head of this academy is Flender, one of the Golden Iron Triangle."

Suddenly, Ning Fengzhi paused. "Shrek Academy? I seem to recall Rongrong mentioning that name once. How did she even learn about this place?"

Turning to the young man beside him, Ning Fengzhi asked, "What do you know about Shrek Academy? What kind of place is it?"

"Forgive me, Sect Leader. Shrek Academy has at least one Soul Sage and several Soul Emperor-level powerhouses. I couldn't investigate further due to my limitations, but from the outside, it appears to be a very humble institution, located on the outskirts and completely unranked."

"Oh, and as of this year, including the young miss, the academy has five new students. The lowest ranked among them is at the thirtieth level, while the highest is at an astonishing forty-third level, and they're all around the same age!"

This made Bone Douluo grow anxious as well. "Fengzhi, this is ridiculous! What use is a shabby school like that? How can it help Rongrong improve her skills? It'd be better for her to go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"

Ning Fengzhi pondered briefly and replied, "Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, please hold on. While the academy may look run-down, as you just heard, besides Rongrong, there are four highly talented individuals. The most skilled one has reached the astonishing level of forty-three, which is unheard of."

"Even the youngest Titled Douluo didn't possess this kind of power at the age of twelve."

"Moreover, just recently, I happened to overhear Rongrong mentioning Shrek Academy. She's been within the sect all along—how would she even know about an obscure academy like this? And our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda has never produced an innate full spirit power user. Rongrong is an exception. I sense something unusual here, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Sword Douluo frowned. "So, what are you suggesting, Fengzhi?"

"My suggestion is to let things take their course. Since Rongrong has already enrolled, let her study there. Her classmates are so gifted—perhaps we could even bring some of them into our sect one day."

"I wonder what that twelve-year-old prodigy at level forty-three looks like, and what his character is like. If he isn't an auxiliary-type spirit master, maybe we could pair him with Rongrong. Of course, this only works if she's interested too."

"Uncle Bone, why don't you visit Shrek Academy to check on her? If Rongrong is being mistreated, you can go ahead and give Flender a good thrashing!"

Gu Rong quickly responded, "No problem! I'll head over right away. I've missed Rongrong these past few days—I hope Flender hasn't done anything outrageous, or I'll make him pay! As the little princess to the three of us, we could never let anyone bully her!"

Saying this, Gu Rong shot a taunting look at Chen Xin. "Chen Xin, I'm off to see Rongrong. Envious, aren't you? Heh heh!"

Chen Xin fumed. "You! Old Bone, don't be so smug! If your martial spirit were harder to track, I'd be competing with you!"

At Shrek Academy

That afternoon, after their morning run, everyone but Tang San, who had been called away by Flender, decided to head into Soto City for some shopping.

The three girls mainly shopped for clothes, daily necessities, and a variety of snacks.

Su Ming bought a large quantity of ready-to-eat food to store in the spirit guidance tool's refrigerator. He figured he could just heat it up when he wanted, as the academy's food was dismal despite charging them 250 gold soul coins.

By evening, everyone returned to the academy, satisfied after their meal, awaiting the dean's announcement.

In the evening, everyone gathered on the training field as Flender cleared his throat and said, "Before tonight's class, I have an announcement. Tang San has been stuck at level thirty for a while now and needs to go to the Star Dou Forest to obtain his third spirit ring. So, I'll be arranging a trip for you all soon, with Vice Dean Zhao Wuji leading you."

"Does anyone have any issues?"

Oscar stepped forward. "Dean, I think I can reach level thirty in a few days. I'll train as hard as I can to catch up."

Flender looked pleased. "Good! Not bad, Little Ao! For a food-type spirit master to reach level thirty at your age is quite impressive! Train hard, and once you reach level thirty, we'll set off immediately."

With that, Flender led the group out of the academy.

During the trip to Soto City, Su Ming pulled out his diary and began today's entry.

[Today was the first day of Shrek Academy. Early this morning, Xiao Wu and the others and I went to the village to scavenge for food, as Oscar mentioned the academy canteen wasn't open yet.]

[After breakfast, we stumbled upon Ma Hongjun, who was pulling at a girl, insisting on "one last time," despite her refusal. How was this different from assault? It was just him thinking with his lower body!]

When the three girls read "one last time," their faces flushed slightly as they glanced at Ma Hongjun with even more disgust.

Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun felt a chill down his spine. He looked back but saw nothing unusual—only three beautiful girls looking at him disdainfully, which he quickly mistook for admiration.

"Fatty, what are you staring at?"

Scolded by Xiao Wu, he sheepishly turned away, not wanting to be beaten, and struggled to suppress his inner desires.

[Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix martial spirit mutated from a common rooster, which, despite being a top-tier beast spirit, came with the defect of "evil fire," intensifying his desires.]

[This forces Ma Hongjun to seek women to vent his urges. After all, as a soul master, it's easy to find ordinary women. Why rely on self-restraint when he can indulge? Yet I still find him despicable!]

[Compared to Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai might be slightly better—though not by much. As a noble, he can at least afford to frequent brothels. But Ma Hongjun, a commoner with little money, has no such luxury and must rely on coercing others. It's disgusting to even think about.]

The three girls pondered this and found it reasonable. Ma Hongjun indeed had little money for brothels unless Dai Mubai paid. His remaining option was to force others into submission.

Of course, this didn't make Dai Mubai much better. He could afford brothels, and his looks weren't bad, but this didn't eliminate the possibility that he might also resort to force.

After all, Ma Hongjun had previously bragged that Dai Mubai could spend an entire day with different women, going for three rounds each day.

Thinking of this, Zhu Zhuqing's aura grew even colder.

[Right, something just occurred to me. In the original story, both Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai are part of the Shrek Seven Devils, and they all become close friends. But I can't quite understand how Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong managed to befriend those two.]

[When Xiao Wu first met Ma Hongjun, he wanted her to be his girlfriend, and Xiao Wu ended up beating him up pretty badly—with Tang San watching right there beside her.]

[As for Zhu Zhuqing, did she forget about how Dai Mubai abandoned her to come to the Heaven Dou Empire and even frequented those shady places? Later on, they actually reconciled, and Zhu Zhuqing's even been called a 'devoted cat' by fans online, claiming she wanted to change her fate, but in the end, wasn't she just clinging to Dai Mubai, competing for the throne of the Star Luo Empire alongside him?]

[And Ning Rongrong? Dai Mubai once grabbed her by the throat, threatening to assault and kill her—twice over, no less—right after the fight in the Spirit Arena. Did she just forget all that?]

What Su Ming didn't know was that as he wrote in his diary, the three women fell silent, their expressions growing darker. After everything that happened in the original story, how did the seven of them end up as good companions?

Zhu Zhuqing, in particular, began to reflect. 'A devoted cat? No, I'm not!' She absolutely refused to admit to that. She was no longer the person she once was. She was determined to hold firm to her own choices—there was no way she'd ever accept Dai Mubai now!

[Later, Dai Mubai tried to suppress his true nature for Zhu Zhuqing's sake, hoping she'd forgive him. Like now, constantly hovering around her. Whether he's actually sincere or not, I don't know.]

[Zhu Zhuqing's figure is leagues above those twins, and she has natural advantages that Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong lack. On top of that, she can perform the Netherworld White Tiger fusion technique with him, so that's why Dai Mubai's trying to restrain himself.]

[Eventually, Dai Mubai actually did manage to succeed to some degree. When the Shrek Seven Devils later fought the Emperor Team in Soto City, he and Zhu Zhuqing performed the Netherworld White Tiger fusion technique for the first time, not long after we returned from the Star Dou Great Forest.]

The girls: "The Emperor Team? Are they from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy?"

[As far as I know, performing a spirit fusion technique requires certain conditions. The two spirits must be highly compatible, and there must be a significant level of closeness between the individuals.]

[When Zhu Zhuqing first joined, she was still icy toward Dai Mubai. Yet, just a few months later, they could use the spirit fusion technique together? The only explanation I can think of is that Zhu Zhuqing had already begun forgiving Dai Mubai and, in a way, given herself to him.]

Zhu Zhuqing's expression grew colder as she looked at the diary before her, her face paling, not even noticing as her nails dug into her palm. Just like that, she'd given herself away? What happened to her resolve to change her destiny? Was this really the path she'd taken to change her fate? No wonder people called her a 'devoted cat'—she was starting to think the same of herself.

Going from treating Dai Mubai coldly to performing a spirit fusion technique together in just a few months was so short a time that she found it hard to believe.

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong noticed Zhu Zhuqing's unusual state. Each took hold of one of her hands, and Zhu Zhuqing felt the warmth from their touch. She looked at Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong, shaking her head to indicate she was okay.

She definitely wouldn't treat Dai Mubai the same way anymore. She wasn't going to degrade herself like that.

[And then there's Ma Hongjun. Dai Mubai at least repressed his nature and avoided those places, partly because he had Zhu Zhuqing to be with. But how was Ma Hongjun supposed to suppress his evil fire later on? He still needed women to help him with that. If I remember right, Tang San gave him an immortal herb called Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower to resolve the evil fire inside him. But before that, how did he deal with it? Just thinking about it makes it clear.]

[With Ma Hongjun's nature, I can't believe Xiao Wu and the others managed to live alongside him. It's beyond absurd. Even if his evil fire was dealt with, his nature hasn't changed.]

Bibi Dong, on the other hand, wasn't focused on any of this. What caught her attention was the mention of an immortal herb, the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.

Where did Tang San get his hands on such an herb? She had once sent her people out to search for it, but they never found anything!

If Tang San managed to obtain the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower in the future, it's highly possible he got other immortal herbs too. And Su Ming definitely knows about it since he knows the story, but he's just giving vague hints! How infuriating!

[Today, after disciplining Ma Hongjun, I joined everyone else at the training grounds to meet Flender. Just as in the original story, Flender ordered Oscar and Ning Rongrong to run twenty laps around the village. For a support-type Spirit Master, that's an impossible task! I think Flender was being hard on her partly because of her spoiled princess attitude but also to create an opportunity for Oscar and Ning Rongrong to be alone together.]

[Flender is nothing short of a crafty old fox, with his sharp Spirit Owl eyes. He must have already picked up on Oscar's interest in Ning Rongrong and set this up to nudge them closer together.]

Ning Rongrong felt goosebumps as she read this part. Oscar? Interested in her? Trying to pursue her?

Just the thought of Oscar's lecherous look made Ning Rongrong full of resistance. First impressions matter a lot!

No wonder he made that sausage first and offered it to her while running today—was that his way of trying to please her? Did he really think he was that charming?

[When it comes to Oscar, I have to mention that on our way from the village to the training grounds, he whispered to me, saying that from what he's observed, Xiao Wu was mine, Zhu Zhuqing was Dai Mubai's, so he had no choice but to go after Ning Rongrong, and asked if I had any objections.]

[Of course, I was highly opposed to it! I don't have many flaws, but I do love beautiful women. But they need to be normal! I'm not into overly violent ones.]

[So, I promptly told him that Ning Rongrong was my type too and suggested he give up, and besides, Oscar's food-type spirit doesn't meet the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's standards.]

[T/N:

Thanks For your Support

you can read 40chapters more in my patre0n

patre0n.c0m/MiniLicht]